


Legally Loved

by ChocolateCapCookie



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Lawyers, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst, BAMF Tony, Depression, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Inaccurate depictions of the legal system, Judge Nick Fury, M/M, Minor Character Death, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, PTSD, Past Character Death, Stark Law Firms, Steve Rogers Feels, Steve Rogers Needs a Hug, Strangers to Lovers, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Unethical Relationships, War, but its all just mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-25
Updated: 2019-11-25
Packaged: 2020-12-13 23:03:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,625
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21005624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChocolateCapCookie/pseuds/ChocolateCapCookie
Summary: Tony is a new, fresh-faced lawyer with a huge case to work on, one that could affect his entire career. If only his client would open up and make his job a bit easier.They do say be careful what you wish for.





	Legally Loved

**Author's Note:**

> This was again inspired by [@marveloftonystark's post on Instagram.](https://www.instagram.com/p/B3hK1CbF3ow/?igshid=20o0kai4rxqh) She has great prompts, rlly, check her out and give her a follow!
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I AM NOT AMERICAN AND I AM DEFINITELY NO LAWYER, THE ONLY KNOWLEDGE I HAVE OF AMERICAN LAW IS FROM HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER. I apologize for any mistakes in the legal proceedings, hopefully, they're not so bad that they ruin the whole story.
> 
> Not beta read cause i have no friends, please point out any mistakes so I can correct 'em!
> 
> I hope you like it!

“Get out of my way, assholes,” growled Tony, elbowing the other interns out of his way as he attempted to hold three large coffee cups in his tiny hands without spilling a drop. "I said, move it!" He was being an asshole, he knew, but being mean to a few random people was definitely better than being late to his meeting. Or, god forbid, showing up with cold coffee.

He pushed his way into the meeting room, panting and disheveled, and caught the two pairs of cold, unforgiving eyes.

“Good morning, Father,” he said cordially, looking straight at Howard, and then nodding at the man next to him. “Obie.”

“Tony, sit down,” said Obadiah, giving him a smile that didn’t quite each his eyes. “I see you have brought us coffee. Just what we needed, thank you.”

Howard simply snorted, pulling the largest cup of Styrofoam coffee towards him with no thanks. He gestured at Tony to sit down.

“Son,” started Howard, and Tony flinched internally. Whenever Howard started a sentence that way, there was always bad news afterwards. “Take a look at this.” He pushed a large box overflowing with case files towards Tony. Overflowing was actually an understatement; there must have been about 300 or so cases in that single box. A lot of work for the poor shmuck Howard assigned to work on them.

“Every single one of those cases has been sent to us from the public defender’s office. They lack the resources to provide defense attorneys for these cases, and asked us if we would take them on, pro bono.” Howard snorted, amused at the idea of Stark Law Firms ever doing pro bono work. Obadiah beside him smirked too. There was a reason they were one of the largest, richest law firms in the country, which was _not_ taking on hopeless cases for free. Tony gulped.

“So you refused them, Father?”

“That was my first intention, yes,” said Howard thoughtfully. “I considered it a waste of our time and assets. But Obie here brought up a good point: if we could be seen helping out the public defender’s office, for free, it would generate massive public interest. Almost enough-” he turned to glare at Tony, who sunk lower in his seat, “-to cover for our little _scandal_ from last month.” Tony stayed quite, not wanting to provoke his father.

“What do you think, Tony?” asked Obadiah encouragingly. “Good idea, or not?”

“Yes, son, please tell us what you think,” said Howard, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “You know both Obie and I value your opinion very highly.”

Tony was confused. Howard had never once in his life asked for Tony’s opinion on anything, let alone enough to value it highly. He did agree, though, that taking on the cases would be a good idea, not for Howard’s twisted, selfish reasons, but because they’d be doing a lot of good. Several innocent people could be helped with Stark Law Firms’ expertise. He nodded slightly, voicing his opinion.

“Yeah, I like it. We should accept.”

Howard’s smirk only grew wider. “I’m glad you think that way, son,” he said. “Consider yourself an official pro bono public defender.”

Tony’s jaw dropped. His dad was an asshole, but this was another level entirely. “You want me to work on all these cases? Alone?!”

“And for free,” Howard reminded him. “None of your clients are of…adequate means to pay you.”

“No, dad-Father, I mean, this is impossible! It’ll take me months to get through these!”

Howard’s smirk slipped away, to be replaced with an angry sneer. “The only reason I accepted is to cover up the mess _you _made. _You _brought shame to this company, and now it’s only fair you fix it.” Tony opened his mouth to retort, but was cut off by Obadiah.

“With all due respect, Howard,” said Obie, with an annoying air of pouring oil over troubled waters. “Forcing the boy to over-exert himself will only give us a bad name when he fails to win his trials. Maybe we can just give him a few of the simpler ones to start with, and work from there.”

“Or,” said Tony defiantly, his voice ringing in his ears. “Here’s what I’ll do. I’ll take the toughest case you can give me from that box, the worst one; and if I can win it, you let me go.”

Howard eyed his son with disdain. “Let you go? You want to be moved to another position?”

“No,” said Tony confidently, though internally quaking with fear. He’d never stood up to Howard this way, and the adrenaline rush was intoxicating. “Let me _go. _Let me leave Stark Law Firms and do my own thing. Cut off my inheritance if you have to, but let me do what I want.”

“And what if you don’t win?” asked Howard, softly, dangerously. “I suppose you are aware that only 3% of public defense cases are acquitted at trial? And the number will probably be lower for whatever filthy, black murderer we pick out of that pile for you?”

Tony clenched his fists, trying to control his anger. He’d had enough experience of Howard’s racist rants in the past. “If I don’t win, you are free to do whatever you want with me,” he said simply.

Howard considered for a moment, and then nodded his agreement. “We will call you back to give you your case.” He smiled, a nasty evil smile that sent chills through Tony’s bones, and waved him out of the room.

Tony sighed and rubbed a hand over his eyes. It was all very well to be brave and stand up to his father, but everything came with consequences. Right now, he was seated on his bed, staring at the case file open in front of him, trying to figure out what in the fuck to do.

Howard hadn’t been kidding when he said he’d give Tony the hardest case possible. Tony had spent the past few hours reading over the files, but he still hadn’t got more than the barest idea of what was happening.

For one, the file was _huge. _The defendant, a 21-year-old white ex-army kid, had gone through more public defenders than Howard had gone through bottles of alcohol, which was saying something. He’d been charged with four counts of first-degree murder and arson, all of which he stubbornly pled guilty to. However, there seemed to be no evidence tying him to any of the crime scenes, meaning he’d been forced to switch from defender to defender as the DA’s office desperately tried to come up with ways to get him convicted. Tony winced as he read the report of one trial where the DA had brought in an obviously fake picture of Rogers at the crime scene, and had been shot down in two minutes. The defendant should have been acquitted a long time ago, and he would have been, if he didn’t keep insisting he was guilty.

He was missing something, Tony decided. There was something so obviously off about this case that it made his mind spin. Mind-spinning was not a sensation he was used to, being one of the most brilliantly able young legal minds in the country, but even he could find no rhyme or reason for this case.

Tony rubbed his eyes one last time and peeked at his phone. It was 2 in the morning, and Tony dropped his work. He needed sleep.

Tony decided his first course of action would be to meet up with this Rogers guy, and find out more about him. He did a full, intensive, background check on the man, including an investigation into his family and close friends. His contact details were all available after some simple searching, and Tony reached out to see if they could meet in a public place the man was comfortable with.

Two days later, Tony found himself seated at shabby café at the edge of one of the poorer Brooklyn neighborhoods. He was definitely out of place, and he could feel several eyes on him, taking in his rich suit and expensive watch as Tony pulled at it to check the time. Rogers was running over ten minutes late.

Just as Tony started to contemplate leaving, Rogers walked in. Tony stared at him long and hard, trying to understand if this was the same man in the picture clipped in the case file. This man was large and well-built, with a head of soft-looking blond hair and shockingly blue eyes. He had an air of mischief around him, like he was just looking for the next great opportunity pull someone’s pants down or pour a bucket of ice-cold water on their heads. All in all, he looked like a perfect American poster boy. It was a large contrast from the bearded, dark-eyed, tired-looking kid in the mugshot, and Tony took a few moments to come back to earth. When he did, it was to the alluring sight of the blond god seated in front of him, offering him a hand to shake.

“Hi, I’m Steve Rogers,” said the man cordially, and fuck, even his voice was attractive. Tony found his throat was dry and hastily swallowed, grabbing Steve’s hand. “Tony Stark,” he said, his voice cracking.

“Stark…” said Steve thoughtfully, “I know that name.” He pursed his lips, like he was trying to recall, and then shrugged. “I’m sure I’ll remember it. So, you’re my new lawyer? Welcome to the job, and don’t worry if you don’t like me, you’ll probably be gone in a week anyways,” he said, without a trace of bitterness. Seriously, Disneyland could use this guy in their ads. Steve gave Tony a once-over, looking confused. “You don’t look like any of the other public defenders I’ve had.”

“Because I’m not,” said Tony. “Your case, along with several others, was transferred to a large law firm because the public defender’s office lacked the resources to deal with your cases. That’s probably where you’ve heard my name before: Stark Law Firms.”

“OH,” said Steve, a light dawning in his eyes which quickly changed to panic. “Uh, is it possible to pull my case out? I’m really sorry but I can’t afford to pay for a lawyer like you.”

“You don’t have to,” said Tony, trying his best to stay professional and not cup Steve’s hand in his (Steve? When did he get on a first name basis with this guy?). “I’m doing this for free.”

Steve was visibly relieved, slumping down in his chair. “I don’t know how that works, but thank you.” He sat up straight again, looking sheepish. “Uh, I’m sorry I said we could meet here,” he said, gesturing around at the shabby café. “This probably isn’t your kind of place, I was expecting someone as broke as I am, so…”

“No worries. And you don’t have to thank me either. Now, let’s talk about your case.” Tony pulled out a piece of paper where he’d typed in the basics of Steve’s case. “You…deliberately and with full knowledge of your actions, set fire to a property housing three residents, with full intent to murder. You then stabbed a civilian, puncturing the aortic valve and causing eventual death. You pled guilty to these charges?”

Steve’s jaw clenched, but he answered with no hesitation. “Yes.”

“Okay, then how do you explain the fact that the kerosene bottle, that was found and proven to have started the fire, didn’t have your fingerprints on it?”

Steve shrugged. “I wiped it clean when I was done.”

“What about the fact that there is no DNA of yours present at the crime scenes? And despite there being several witnesses at the crime scene before and during the fire, nobody saw you?”

“I’m good at hiding. And cleaning up after myself.”

“Your phone records show you were at least two miles away from the crime scene for the whole evening the crime was committed.”

“I gave my friend my phone and told him to stay away from the site. I knew you could use phone records to track someone.”

“And this friend, he can confirm your statement?”

“He’ll have a hard time doing that,” said Steve tightly, “considering he’s dead.” He shook his head. “He’s the civilian that – that I killed.” He kicked at the leg of the table frowning. “You already know all this. Why are you asking me again?”

Here was Tony’s perfect entrance. “You see, Mr. Rogers,” he said, smiling slightly. “I’m having a hard time believing you.” Steve’s jaw almost literally dropped, and Tony pressed on. “I know public defenders. They’re great people, working hard for nothing to help people like you. But the thing with PD’s is that they have very high caseloads, often more than 200 cases at a time. That’s probably why nobody could give your case the attention it deserves. But I only have you, and I can pick up on things other defenders might miss.” He smirked, catching Steve’s eye. “For instance, Mr. Rogers, why did you go to all the trouble of wiping your prints and misdirecting your phone, if you were going to plead guilty anyway?”

Steve looked lost for words. “Uh…” was the only response.

“Your case confuses me Rogers, because there’s no logical explanation for pleading guilty when you are so obviously not. My only explanation was that you’re shielding someone, but after a little research into your life, I know the only people you would shield are all dead.” Steve’s eyes darkened, but Tony pressed on. “Bucky, right? The civilian you ‘killed’, that was his name? I couldn’t tell if you were lovers or simply very good friends, but believe me, anyone with eyes would know at once you hadn’t killed him. Why do you think the DA’s office hasn’t provided any concrete evidence yet? It would be so easy for them to fake a report saying your DNA was present at the crime scene, or bribe someone to say you were seen there around that time, but they haven’t. Because you’re literally too innocent to be guilty.” Tony shook his head. “Of course, someone could also be blackmailing you, or bribing you, or any number of other reasons. But somehow, I doubt that’s it.”

Tony tried to catch Steve’s eye, but the man persisted in looking down. His shoulders were trembling slightly, but when he spoke, his voice was clear and confident. “I did do it,” he said, his voice low. “I am guilty. I tried to cover it up, and it worked. But afterwards, I felt so guilty about it that I went and turned myself in immediately. There was no point living without Bucky anyway.” He shrugged and stood up. “Thanks for meeting with me, Mr. Stark, but I’ve said all I want to say. See you at the trial.” And Steve walked away, ignoring all of Tony’s calls for him to come back.

Tony paced around his living room, trying to come up with a good strategy. Steve’s trial was in two days, and right now, with 36 hours to go, Tony had nothing. _Nothing. _He hadn’t even spoken to Steve since the day they’d first met, the other man politely telling him he had nothing else to say in reply to Tony’s barrage of texts, emails and calls. Short of actually going to Steve’s place and demanding answers, there was nothing more he could do.

Oh, wait.

Ten minutes later, Tony was speeding down the streets, heading to Brooklyn. He’d pulled Steve’s address out of his files, and hurriedly dressed in the oldest, plainest clothes he had, not wanting to draw any attention to himself right now. Before he knew it, he was at Steve’s home, a ratty apartment in an even worse corner of Brooklyn, and he knocked on the door.

When Steve opened the door, Tony’s heart stopped for a second. He was wearing only a short pair of boxers, leaving nothing on his upper body to the imagination. His soft hair was standing up wildly, which along with his sleepy eyes and croaky voice, made it obvious he’d just gotten out of bed.

“Mr. Stark? What’re ya doin’ here?” asked Steve sleepily, his Brooklyn accent noticeably thicker. Tony, whose eyes were already roaming over Steve’s defined muscles and pink nipples, felt the sound go straight to his dick.

“Oh, um…” he started, completely having lost the ability to speak. Tearing his eyes away from Steve, he forced himself to focus. “Look, your trial’s in 36 hours and I don’t have anything. Help me out here, Rogers.” Steve scowled.

“Look, Stark, I already told you everything. There’s nothin’ else to say. Now go home ‘n let me sleep. Who knows, it could be my last night in a real bed.”

Tony rolled his eyes and grabbed Steve’s shoulders. “That’s what I’m trying to prevent from happening, Rogers! I want you to get to sleep in your bed for the rest of your life, but you need to help me out!” _And maybe I could join you,_ thought Tony, but he squashed the sentiment down. Not the moment.

“Quit botherin’ me!” growled Steve, his accent becoming more pronounced as he got angrier. “You’re my lawyer, ya gotta listen to what _I_ say. And I’m sayin’ I’m guilty, and I deserve to go to jail, so go away ‘nd leave…me…alone!”

Tony sighed. What was he supposed to do now? “Wait,” he said, pleadingly. “Just…hear me out okay?” He saw Steve’s muscles stiffen, but he stayed put and Tony took that as a sign to continue. “Look, I’m not very experienced at this whole lawyer thing. You’re one of my first cases, my first murder case, and the first case I’m doing alone. As in all by myself. In the legal world, I’m still a kid. I was practically just a glorified intern at my dad’s company. I need your help.” There must have been something pitiful in his voice, because Steve turned and hesitantly sat on the worn-out couch, waiting for Tony to finish.

“I hate my life there, ya know? I hate my dad, I hate his company, I hate everything it stands for. I’ve been trying to leave for years, but…I can’t.” Tony’s voice broke on the last word, and he collapsed on the couch next to Steve, professionalism be damned. Nobody was professional at 3 o’clock in the morning.

“About a month or so ago, I was out partying and…some stupid tabloid managed to get pictures of me kissing another guy. I’d been open about being bisexual to my dad for a long time, but I guess he thought it was just a phase or something, and he was seriously pissed. Called it the ‘greatest scandal the company’s ever seen’ and other such bullshit. And anyway, he made me do all the pro bono cases the public defender’s office sent us, as some weird sort of punishment, I guess? But I struck a deal with him: win your case, and I’d be free. No more Stark Law Firms, no more working for Howard Stark; I could live my own life, do my own thing. Fail this case though,” Tony gulped. “- and I’d basically be his personal slave for as long as he’s alive.”

Tony took a deep breath and looked Steve directly in the eye. “I need this win. But you, you need it much more than I do. From what little I know of you, Steve, I can already tell you’re not the kind of guy to do this. You’re doing this because of something else. And I’m begging you, do not let whatever this something else is, come in the way of your life.”

Steve stayed silent, unmoving for a couple of seconds, huddled in the corner of his couch. His legs were pulled up and he had his arms wrapped around them, his head buried in his knees, which was why his next words came out muffled and soft.

“You called me Steve.”

“What?”

“Nobody calls me Steve,” said Steve, his eyes suspiciously moist. “It’s always Rogers. That, or ‘killer’, ‘murderer’ or any other name you can imagine.”

“I could help you get back to a normal life, you know. You just need to tell me what happened.”

Steve went silent, and Tony stayed quiet too. He could almost see the cogs turning in Steve’s head, deciding whether or not to trust Tony, and he didn’t want to interrupt the process. A couple of minutes later, though, he couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’m guessing Bucky was the last person who called you by your name?” Steve buried his head further into his knees, refusing to speak. “Do you think he’d be proud of you, right now? Is this what he’d want you to do, Steve?”

Steve lifted his head slightly, so Tony could see his red eyes. “I loved him,” mumbled Steve, looking anywhere but at Tony. “I loved him from the very bottom of my heart, and even though he never saw me as more than a brother, I never stopped loving him. I still do. I love him.” A few tears slipped from Steve’s eyes, and Tony threw everything he’d learned about professionality, courtesy and ethics outside the window so he could rub Steve’s back. He stayed quiet, knowing Steve was in a delicate place, and one wrong move could mess up this entire situation.

“When we got back from the war, he was never the same. Everyone saw he lost an arm, but I could see he lost more than that. He had PTSD, depression, shell-shock, and anything else you could possibly have. He was so brave-” Steve’s voice broke, and Tony had to resist the urge to pull the man into a hug, “- he was never normal, but he was so brave, always wanting to help people, to live his life, as if he hadn’t been scarred in the worst possible fucking ways. I stayed with him, I helped him stay sane. I would have done anything for him. Even if he wasn’t really stable, he was my Bucky.

“Our camp in Afghanistan was in a small village right inside the firing zone. Watching all the families that died, all the children that were playing in the streets one minute and dead the next, and seeing their parents cry over their bodies; it did something to Buck. He became obsessed with finding his birth parents, and he spent days searching for them. When he did find them, he learned they were a rich married couple. He went to their home, just to see what his life might have looked like. I promise you, Mr. Stark, he didn’t go in there meaning to do anything else. He just wanted to see their house, see where he might have been living, what kind of life he would have led, if he hadn’t been given up for adoption.

“When he looked through the window, he saw his parents, and two other children. A girl of about 16, a little boy no older than 3. It hit him then, that these people had effectively kicked him out of their lives; they had a perfect happy family without him. Something snapped in him, I guess, and he just…burned the place down.” Steve’s voice cracked and he sniffled, sounding dangerously close to tears. “He didn’t mean to do it, I know he didn’t. He wasn’t stable and if I was with him, I could’ve stopped him. I wasn’t with him. That’s why he did it.”

Steve broke down sobbing, hiding his face in his arms. Tony wanted so bad to touch him, hug him; but he knew not to. He continued rubbing Steve’s back softly, listening as Steve continued to speak.

“His parents and the baby died immediately, but the girl managed to get out. She collapsed right outside the danger zone, and Bucky picked her up and brought her back to our place. He was always a gentle guy like that.

“She stayed unconscious for a day or so, because we couldn’t risk taking her to a hospital. Bucky didn’t realize what he’d done then, but when he woke up the next morning, he remembered everything, and broke down telling me. I told him everything would be fine, and to stay put in the house while I went out and checked the damage. He didn’t listen to me. He left straight after I did and went to the house to see how badly damaged it was. And it was very bad. They only found one body, and assumed the others had been burned to ash or crushed under the walls. He was filled with so much remorse that he called me and he told me he couldn’t live with himself, he wanted to die. I tried to talk him out of it, I ran as fast as I could to where he was, but by the time I got there…it was too late.”

Steve’s sobs grew harder and heavier, streams of tears running down his face. By this point, Tony had his arm around Steve’s shoulders, all of his training be damned. Right now, his basic human instincts came first, and they were telling him to comfort the guy in need.

“When I saw Bucky’s dead body, I didn’t think, I just ran to it. I had to leave him behind when they took him away, but enough people had seen me at that point to raise suspicions. I went back home and cleaned up as good as I could, which is when Sarah, Bucky’s sister, woke up. She’s a smart kid, and immediately understood everything when I told her what happened. We both knew she’d be the main suspect in her family’s death, so when they came here to arrest me, I went with it. I admitted to both crimes, to protect her. She’s my best friend’s sister, I owe Bucky that much at least, because it’s partially my fault anyway. I should have been there with Bucky. Both times, people died because I wasn’t around to help him. I’m a shit best friend, and I deserve to go to jail for this.” Steve sniffled and rubbed a hand over his eyes. “Don’t tell me I’m not guilty.”

“Steve,” said Tony, feeling tears come to his eyes as well. All through his time at law school and working at Stark Law Firms, he’d come across several sad stories, but nothing that had hit him quite like this. He chose his next words carefully. “Can I hug you?”

Steve immediately fell onto Tony, sobbing like a baby in his arms. Tony pulled Steve to him as tightly as possible, feeling him tremble in his arms. Steve’s shirtless back was warm against his arms, and Tony could feel every single tremor and sob, almost making him cry himself.

They stayed that way for a while until Steve’s sobs slowed and his cries quietened. He was still shaking slightly but Tony pulled him up so he was eye level with Tony.

“Steve? I know this is a horrible time for you, but you have to listen to me okay?” Steve nodded. “Look, your story checks out with all the evidence they have on you. The only reason you’re still in this position is because _you_ think you’re guilty. And you’re not. No, Steve-” he held his hand up to stop the man, who showed every sign of arguing back. “-listen to me. What happened to Bucky was sad, and god knows I feel very bad for him, but you had nothing to do with that. You couldn’t be expected to keep an eye on your adult friend 24/7, and even if you _were_ there, there’s no guarantee you would’ve been able to stop him. This whole situation is a mess, it’s sad, it’s heartbreaking, but the one thing it’s not is your fault. Okay?” Steve looked away from Tony, refusing to meet his eyes. Tony sighed.

“I’m trying to get this into your head, Steve, because the only thing keeping you from being a free man right now is your guilty plea. You take it back, everything goes back to normal.”

Steve shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “What about Sarah?” he asked, almost in a whisper. “if I say I’m not guilty, she’ll be the main suspect. I can’t put that poor kid through this, not after everything she’s already gone through.”

“You leave that to me; I’m your lawyer and it’s my job to cover all the bases,” said Tony, sounding much more confident than he felt. “Do you agree, then? D’you want to take back your guilty plea?”

Steve stayed still, not giving any kind of response. Tony held his breath, but a few seconds later, Steve gave a small, almost imperceptible nod. Tony wanted to jump up and down in celebration, but he knew it wasn’t the right time, and instead shot Steve and encouraging smile.

“I miss Bucky,” whispered Steve, and Tony pulled him into another hug, Steve’s head resting on his shoulder as Steve cried and cried into his chest.

They were still in the same position the next morning. Tony woke up first, the harsh sunlight coming in through the thin curtains being enough to rouse him. He took a few moments to remember where he was, until he looked down into a patch of fluffy blond hair, and everything came flooding back.

He lay back for a second, mentally registering everything he’d heard and done the previous night. He looked down at Steve again. The man was sleeping peacefully, and although he couldn’t see Steve’s face from his point of view, Steve’s arms were wrapped tightly around Tony’s waist, his head nested perfectly between Tony’s pecs, his back moving up and down consistently with his breathing. Tony had to force himself not to look lower, not to notice Steve’s naked thighs and round ass that was only barely covered by his thin boxers. The poor guy was probably exhausted from his breakdown a few hours ago, not to mention the monumental decision he’d made, and it seemed best to give him a few more hours of sleep. Tony pushed away all his memories of his ethics classes, telling himself he’d deal with it later as he ran a hand softly through Steve’s hair.

Staying as still as possible, Tony played around on his phone, answering texts and a few emails. Less than half an hour later, Steve began to stir slightly and soon woke up. He blushed when he saw the compromising position he’d slept in.

“I’m so sorry, Mr. Stark,” he cried, his cheeks blushing a pretty pink. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you, I swear.” Tony chuckled at him. With his ruffled bedhead and the tear tracks still visible on his cheeks, Steve looked and sounded much younger than his 21-year-old self right then.

“Call me Tony,” he offered, getting off the couch and stretching his sore muscles. “Mr. Stark is my dad, and I’m not that much older than you anyway.”

“I’m still sorry, Mist – Tony,” Steve corrected. “I don’t know much about law, but I think that’s illegal? I’m sorry, and I swear I won’t tell anyone,”

“It’s not illegal,” said Tony, watching avidly as Steve stretched. “Unethical, yes, but not illegal.”

Steve shrugged and walked towards his room. “I’m going to take a shower, and uh, put some clothes on,” he said, blushing even harder. “You’re welcome to stay, and raid my kitchen, except I don’t have much.”

Tony nodded. He was busy, he had the trial tomorrow and had to come up with some plausible reason to keep Steve out of jail. Plus, he still had his opening speech to write, and some way to get organized. But Steve had asked him to stay, and how could Tony refuse that?

When Steve walked out of his room later, it was to the sight of a table full of food. A basket of muffins, two cups of coffee, some tiny crustless sandwiches and a stack of pancakes covered the top of the table. Steve’s jaw dropped and he looked to Tony for an explanation.

“I ordered in,” said Tony, giggling at the awestruck look on Steve’s face. “I figured after last night, we deserved some real filling food.”

Steve sat next to Tony, still looking at the spread in surprise. “I would say this is a lot, but I never refuse free food. Thanks, Tony.”

They ate their way through several muffins and sandwiches, keeping up a stream of light chatter. Tony hadn’t felt this content in a long time, and he was reluctant to leave when he was done.

“You can stay,” offered Steve. “I don’t mind.”

“I have a lot of work to do, prepping for tomorrow,” sighed Tony. “It’ll be horrible though, working in my house. Howard is sure to pop his head in and annoy me, or call me several times asking me for a ‘favor’ just to get a rise out of me. Or make me so distracted I can’t focus. It’s what he does.”

“So stay,” insisted Steve again. “You can work from here, and besides, I could use the company.” He blushed slightly, his cheeks turning a dusty pink, and Tony was immediately sold.

“If you’re sure,” he said smiling. “I’ll need to take a shower, though.”

“You can borrow my clothes,” said Steve eagerly. Tony laughed.

“There’s no way your clothes would fit me.”

“Too big is better than too small,” said Steve seriously, making Tony laugh again.

“Wow, normally I only hear that line when I’m naked,” he smirked, making Steve blush that pretty blush all over again. His little attempt at flirting left Steve flustered and confused, unable to give Tony a proper reply. Tony took pity on him, and left to take a shower.

That night, Tony was about ready to bash his head into a wall, and preferably never take it out again so he wouldn’t have to deal with this mess. How was he going to win this? _How?_

The day had actually gone pretty well. Steve had managed to find a shirt and pair of pants that he’d outgrown, and that fit Tony perfectly. They spent the morning cooking lunch together, and Tony could tell Steve found the sight of Tony in his clothes pleasing, and Tony had played that up all day, sticking his ass out slightly more than he needed to, touching Steve _slightly _longer than was necessary.

After lunch, he’d settled to start on work, and immediately hit a roadblock with his opening speech. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t word the sentiments well enough, and it took him almost three hours to write his 5-minute speech.

Exhausted, he felt a large cup of coffee being placed in his hand. Steve smiled and sat behind him to massage his back. Tony moaned the minute Steve’s hands touched him; he’d been sitting hunched over a laptop for the better part of the last four hours, and his poor old back was now paying the price. He didn’t even have it in him to feel ashamed, even as he noticed Steve’s soft blush, which was pretty much a constant all day given how much Tony flirted with him.

He knew it was inappropriate and unethical, but there was just something about the boy that made you want to break the rules. And that sweet pink dusting on Steve’s cheeks was worth anything to see.

Tony skipped dinner in favor of trying to come up with a battle plan for the next day. He racked his brains, googled case laws, even called a few friends to ask for (general) advice, but by 9 PM, he was totally wiped. He had no idea what he could do, and collapsed backwards on the couch in frustration.

His head landed on Steve’s lap. Steve, who had been sitting there reading a book, (yes, an actual, physical book. Could anyone get any cuter?) looked at Tony’s tired face, and immediately smiled in sympathy. He ran his hands though Tony’s hair, massaging his scalp. Tony moaned, closing his eyes for a moment to relax in the sensation.

“What’s wrong?” asked Steve softly, his hands keeping up a constant rhythm.

“It’s a little complicated,” said Tony. He moaned as Steve tugged at a particularly sensitive part of his head. “Please keep doing that.”

“Try me,” offered Steve. Tony closed his eyes, just focusing on the pleasant sensation of Steve’s hands on his head.

“In any normal case, we would just walk in tomorrow and say you’ve withdrawn your guilty plea, and watch the DA’s office scramble. We’ll all laugh at them and walk out happily and have a nice victory dinner.” Tony sighed. “The problem is Sarah. Just walking out doesn’t give her any protection at all. I toyed with the idea of putting her on the stand and making her testify that she was with you the whole night when her family died, which is technically true, so it wouldn’t be perjury. She doesn’t even have a phone which makes it so much simpler. But to put her on the stand, we’d need to have a proper trial, and we can’t do that if our entire strategy is to walk in and say you plead not guilty.” Tony sighed again and rubbed his forehead, feeling the beginnings of a headache.

“Sounds like a real catch-22,” said Steve.

Tony opened his eyes, only to see Steve staring at him with a little half-smile. His hands still ran softly over Tony’s head, his eyes were looking at Tony with so much concern, that Tony couldn’t help himself. He lifted his head up and placed a hand on Steve’s neck, pulling him in for a kiss.

Steve immediately went all in, apparently having wanted this for as long as Tony had. Their lips moved together, soft and tender, not going any further until Tony pulled away, and the pair looked at each other awkwardly.

“What brought that on?” asked Steve, grinning. His lips were redder than before and soaking wet; Tony had to work very hard to not kiss him again, right then and there.

“You’re smart,” shrugged Tony. “It’s sexy.”

Steve blushed immediately, making Tony want to ravish him.

“That was, uh, really nice and all, Steve,” he said slowly, careful not to offend him. "But, uh, let’s just put a lid on it for now, okay?”

“Um, yeah, sure, whatever you want, Tony,” said Steve, confused.

“It’s not you,” Tony hurried to clarify. “This is just…really, really unethical. Attorney-client sexual relationships are a big no-no. I know it wasn’t really sexual, but if anyone found out, they’d consider it a sexual relationship, and the fallout could be really bad.”

Steve nodded. “What do you do if you have a client you’re attracted to then?”

Tony laughed. “This is the first time, sweetheart,” he smirked, and was paid off by Steve’s deep blush. “But generally, you have to wait until the case is over before you can start anything.”

“Okay,” said Steve slowly. “So if you win tomorrow, does that mean I can take you out on a date?”

“Why, Steve Rogers, are you asking me out?” teased Tony. Steve blushed, but persevered.

“Yeah, I am.”

“If we win, yes.” Tony groaned and leaned his head back against the couch. “Although right now, I doubt we have much of a chance of winning.”

Steve leaned forward to kiss Tony on the cheek. “I believe in you.”

Tony’s eyes flew open. He looked at Steve excitedly. “Could you do that again?”

Steve was confused. “This?” he asked, and kissed Tony again. Tony pulled his laptop and started typing furiously.

“I know how we can win this.”

“All rise!”

Tony, Steve and the rest of the courtroom got to their feet as Judge Fury walked in. He sat down and the crowd followed. Steve gulped nervously, but when Tony stood up to speak, he pushed the worries out of his head to focus on his boyf – _friend _instead.

The court proceedings seemed to pass like a blur, especially for Steve who had done this so many times, he was almost jaded. They watched the DA show some clearly bungled and circumstantial evidence, Tony objecting to all of them, until the opposing counsel had to sit down shamefaced. Fury called for witnesses, and this was where Steve really woke up.

They watched as Sarah walked nervously to the stand and took her oath. Tony immediately started questioning her.

“Where were you on the night of the fire?”

“I was with Mr. Rogers and the dead man Mr. Barnes in Mr. Barnes’ apartment.”

“And why were you in an apartment with two strange, adult men?”

“I’d just learned that Mr. Barnes was my long-lost brother. I wanted to meet him, so I snuck out to his apartment.”

“How long were you there?”

“I’m not sure what time I left, but it was pretty early, maybe around 6? And I stayed over until the next day.”

“How did you find out about the death of your family?”

“Mr. Rogers always goes out for a run in the mornings, and he heard the news before we did. He came back to his house and told both me and Mr. Barnes. My brother was worried when he heard and immediately ran out to see what happened. Mr. Rogers stayed with me to comfort me, until he got a call from my brother saying he didn’t want to live anymore, that he was about to kill himself. He left immediately, but I guess he was too late.”

A single tear slid down her cheek and Tony stopped. “No further questions,” he said, before dropping into his seat next to Steve. “She’s a great little actress,” murmured Tony, softly enough that only Steve could hear. Steve nodded in agreement.

They watched nervously as the DA grilled Sarah. They asked her some tough questions, but she kept her cool and answered them perfectly. Steve felt almost proud of her.

Tony felt his legs shaking as he stood up to give his closing remarks, but walked forward anyway. He looked back at Steve, who shot him an encouraging thumbs up. _If you win this, you get to go out with him, _Tony told himself. He took a deep breath, and began.

“Your Honor, this case on its outside, seems quite simple. There’s no evidence to convict a man, so the court should let him go. This is a simple idea. However, the DA has persisted in dragging this case for well over six months, for no obvious reason whatsoever.”

The DA immediately stood up. “Objection, your Honor!” she roared. “the delay was not due to any error on our part, but due to the defendant’s guilty plea!”

“Ah yes,” said Tony. “That is an issue. However, my client now wishes to withdraw his guilty plea, and pleads not guilty instead.”

Tony almost broke character and started laughing at the looks of shock on the opposing counsel’s face. Judge Fury appealed directly to Steve. “Is this true, Mr. Rogers?”

“Yes, your Honor,” said Steve, standing up. “I plead not guilty.”

“Mr. Stark, why would you not bring this to my attention at once? You instigated an entire court proceedings for a simple matter that could have been solved without need for a trial,” asked the Judge, and Tony had to collect all his confidence to go on.

“I had my reasons, your Honor.”

“Then please, explain them to me and to the court.”

“My client says he’s not guilty. There is no evidence to prove he is guilty, and in fact has a rock-solid alibi for both murders. Then let me ask, your Honor, how did the DA’s office get all this so-called ‘evidence’ against him? They didn’t. They falsified evidence, which is a criminal act in itself, but they also committed a breach of the Equality Act.” Tony paused to gesture towards Steve. “My client is an outstanding citizen, without so much as a parking ticket to his name. Yet, the DA insisted on him being treated as a criminal for the past six months. Why? Because my client is gay. They figured, _well it would be good to put a homo in prison, even when he’s done nothing wrong,_ and started this absurd six-month-long crusade against a clearly innocent man. This is a clear violation of the Equality Act, your Honor. This was a heinous, senseless crime, and we all mourn the lives lost. However, do not make an innocent man pay for this. I don’t know who killed those people, I don’t know who burned down that house, but I know for sure it was not my client, Steve Rogers.”

Tony sat down to a thunderstorm of claps from the assembled audience. He didn’t even bother listening to the DA’s closing remarks, knowing there was nothing they could say that could crush his win. And he was proven right when, ten minutes later, Judge Fury banged his gavel and officially acquitted Steve of all charges.

Steve immediately pulled Tony into a hug, cheering and joyful. Tony hugged him back just as tightly, seeing where his life could go from here. He was _free_. Free from Stark Law Firms, free from his father. And best of all, he had Steve.

He almost leaned in for a kiss before he remembered where he was. Steve looked him in the eye, smiling as he let go of Tony.

“I believe I was promised a date.”

**Author's Note:**

> Again, check out @marveloftonystark on Instagram; her post is what inspired this whole story.
> 
> Perjury is bad, kids, don't do it. This is fiction and nothing happens to Sarah afterwards, but it could seriously fuck your life up if you happen to be in a position where you lie in court. Just don't do it.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and if you left a comment or kudos, thank you so much more. Comments are like the food that feed my soul lol, so please leave one. And if you have any requests or prompts, please feel free to leave those down too.
> 
> Again, thank you for reading, and I love you 3000!


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